13 Most Haunted Places in the U.S. (Ideal for Fall Road Trips)
Have you ever wanted to visit some of the country’s most haunted places?
This fall is a perfect time. The fact is, there isn’t a shortage of spooky places across America.
In this article, we’re bringing you 13 of the creepiest places in the U.S.
Let’s get spooked!
Take a Haunted Places Road Trip to Any of These Spooky Sites
If you want to plan a haunted places road trip, get a notebook ready. This list has 13 of the most haunted places in the U.S.
1. Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, KY
Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky, is known as one of the most haunted places in the entire country. This former sanatorium has featured on many paranormal and ghost-hunting shows because of the high level of paranormal activity reported inside and on the grounds.
The Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened in 1910 to house tuberculosis patients. Tuberculosis used to be a fatal disease. Sanatoriums housed and quarantined terminally ill patients. Some urban legends claim that more than 9,000 people died at Waverly Hills over 50 years.
2. Savannah, GA
Some call Savannah, Georgia, one of the most haunted cities in the country, perhaps because of its construction site. This city sits atop Native American burial grounds; roads and buildings rest on top of long-forgotten graves of slaves and colonists.
The city literally resides atop cemeteries and burial grounds. In addition, several deadly events took place in Savannah, contributing to its spooky reputation. Battles, massive fires, disease epidemics, and natural disasters have many lives in the area.
You can experience the hauntings of Savannah in many ways. Ghost tours, haunted hotels, and more await you in this beautiful yet spooky southern town.
3. New Orleans, LA – Possibly the Most Haunted Place
New Orleans is one of the most well-known haunted cities in America. The Crescent City is ripe with tales of hauntings, witchcraft, murders, natural disasters, and more.
Because the city of New Orleans sits below sea level, most of the cemeteries in the area are above ground. The dead lie at rest in cement tombs that sit at the same level as the living.
As if that’s not weird enough, coffins buried in the ground would rise up and float down the street during floods. This led to displaced bodies and the invention of the above-ground cemetery. Coffins still rise out of the ground to this day when it floods.
This city also has stories of ghosts from the war of 1812, a Voodoo Queen, and tragic tales of lives lost in Hurricane Katrina.
Pro Tip: In for a scare? Listen to these 7 Spooky Campfire Podcasts for Your Next RV Trip.
4. Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is one of the most famous abandoned prisons in the U.S. This prison is supposedly one of the most haunted in the country.
Today, the prison is open for tours and has a haunted house during the Halloween season. This prison housed many notorious criminals in its heyday, including Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton.
In Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures,” the crew filmed disembodied voices and shadowy figures. The grounds of this prison are massive, and tour guides and guests alike have many stories of supernatural experiences. If you’re in the Philly area, check it out for yourself.
5. Gettysburg Battlefield, PA – Deadliest Haunted Place
The Battle of Gettysburg was the deadliest battle of the Civil War. The battle raged from July 1 to July 3, 1863, and claimed more than 50,000 lives.
Gettysburg Battlefield still haunts America, and with that amount of casualties, it’s not hard to see why. You can take a nightly walking ghost tour at Gettysburg, visit a haunted orphanage, or hold your own paranormal investigation.
6. Cahawba, AL
Cahawba, Alabama, is an abandoned city in the central part of the state. This town was once Alabama’s state capital, but inhabitants abandoned it due to consistent flooding.
Today, Cahawba is an archaeological site and Alabama’s most famous ghost town. You can visit Old Cahawba and tour the town’s ruins, see the remaining buildings, visit graves, and more. You can easily spend an entire day in Cahawba. This park is rarely open to nighttime visitors. But, occasionally you can find a nighttime ghost tour during the Halloween season.
7. Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs, AR
The 1880 Crescent Hotel and Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, might claim the title of most haunted hotel in the U.S. The Crescent Hotel opened in the 1880s. In the 1930s, a “doctor” named Norman Baker acquired it. Baker claimed he found the cure for cancer and re-opened the hotel as the Baker Cancer Clinic.
As it turns out, Baker was no doctor, and he had no cure for cancer. Instead, sick and dying people from all around the country were experimented on and die in extreme pain. In addition, other deaths occurred from people falling off balconies, during construction, and more.
Today, the Crescent Hotel is open as a hotel and has several ghost tours every night. This hotel is a hotbed for paranormal activity and hosts a paranormal weekend once per year.
8. Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome, AZ
The Jerome Grand Hotel may be the most haunted place in Arizona. Jerome is a former copper mining town turned ghost town in the mountains outside of Cottonwood, Ariz. Today, Jerome has a resident population of artists. Tourists can peruse the ghost town and book a room at the Grand Hotel.
Once called the United Verde Hospital, the Grand Hotel may have seen more than 9,000 deaths between 1927 and 1950. Paranormal activity happens throughout the hotel, but the third floor may host the most active spot.
Pro Tip: While in Arizona make sure to stop by these 5 Spooky Ghost Towns in Arizona.
9. St. Augustine Lighthouse, FL
The lights went on in the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida in 1874. To date, this lighthouse remains a hotspot of paranormal activity, attracting tourists and ghost enthusiasts from around the country.
The lighthouse additionally operates as a popular tourist destination and maritime museum. St. Augustine itself is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the United States, founded in 1565.
Many tour companies operate ghost tours in St. Augustine, and the lighthouse consistently ranks as one of the most haunted places in town. Some say children who tragically died there and a shadowy figure called “The Man” haunt the lighthouse. You can select from various ghost tour options.
10. The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO – Most Famous Haunted Place
Colorado’s most haunted hotel may be the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. This hotel is open to bookings and ghost tours. If you want another haunted hotel to spend the night in, this is it.
Some believe children, previous owners, and even some pets haunt the hotel. It even inspired the Stephen King novel and movie “The Shining.”
There are reports of paranormal activity all around the hotel. Plus, there’s a pet cemetery on the grounds that has reports of four-legged ghosts, too.
Pro Tip: You can book a room at Stanley Hotel and take a ghost tour while you’re there.
11. RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA
The RMS Queen Mary has been the subject of many high-profile paranormal investigations. The Queen Mary is now a hotel, although it’s currently closed for repairs. The RMS Queen Mary once operated as an ocean liner sailing the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967.
Haunting stories from the Queen Mary include tales of ghosts dressed in 1930s-era clothing, ghostly children running and playing, doors slamming, drastic temperature changes, screams, and children crying. The Queen Mary will hopefully re-open by early 2022.
12. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, WV – Scariest Haunted Place
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia is a National Historic Landmark. This building served as an asylum for the mentally ill in the late 1800s and operated from 1864 to 1994. At its peak, the asylum held more than 2,400 patients, far exceeding the intended 250.
Patients at the Trans-Allegheny Asylum lived in overcrowded and poor conditions. The on-site farm and dairy meant to provide food for up to 300 patients couldn’t meet the demand of the overcrowded facility. As a result, patients became malnourished and ended up sleeping on floors and getting locked in cages. Staff struggled to keep up with the filth and grime that covered the facility.
Due to the horrific living conditions, many patients at the asylum perished. There are more than 2,000 people buried in the on-site cemetery. In addition, healing procedures for the mentally ill were barbaric when the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum operated. Patients were shocked, kept in cages, dunked in ice baths, and lobotomized.
The strife and suffering, brutal treatments, and death created a perfect environment for paranormal activity. Today, you can choose from many different kinds of ghost tours at the abandoned building, including staying all night.
13. Villisca Ax Murder House, Iowa
The Villisca ax murders still haunt Iowa as one of its strangest unsolved murder cases. In June of 1912, two adults and six children were found brutally murdered in a quiet house in Villisca, Iowa. The house was locked from the inside, and no murderer was ever captured.
The site of the murders may now be haunted and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, visitors to the Villisca Ax Murder House can choose to visit and take a tour or stay overnight. Visitors report many strange happenings like sounds, lights turning on and off, orbs in photographs, and more.
If You Like the Paranormal, Try a Haunted Places Road Trip
From haunted hotels and restaurants to abandoned buildings, a haunted road trip is the perfect fall vacation. Plot out a few of these places, or find other haunted locations along your route. Do you know of any other super haunted places in the U.S.? Let us know in the comments?
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